Projectile retrieval system

ABSTRACT

A projectile retrieval system includes a screw drive for moving bullets and bullet fragments to move bullets from a bullet acceleration area to a remote location without the need for a person to handle the bullets. Preferably, the screw drive is configured so that there is no need to stop use of the bullet deceleration area while the screw drive is transporting the bullets. In a preferred embodiment, a vacuum system is also connected to a transport housing about the screw drive to move lead dust away from the bullet deceleration area.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The Present Application is a continuation application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/645,284, filed Aug. 21, 2003, which claims thebenefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No. 60/411,190,filed Sep. 17, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a system for retrieval of projectilesfired into a bullet stop and containment chamber. More particularly, thepresent invention relates to a system which removes bullets and bulletfragments from a series of containment chambers or an elongate chambermore conveniently and with less environmental exposure to the lead ofthe bullets.

2. State of the Art

In order to maintain their proficiency with various types of firearms,law enforcement officers and others routinely engage in target practice.For many years, target practice was conducted in environments in whichthere was little concern for recovering the bullets. Firing rangescommonly used a large mound of earth to decelerate the bullet after ithad passed through the target. Such a system was generally safe, in thatthe dirt was effective in stopping the bullet and preventing injuries.(While the most common projectile at a firing range is a bullet, otherprojectiles, such as shot, can also be present. Thus, as used herein,projectiles includes bullets and vice versa.)

More recently, considerable concern has been raised about the leadcontained in the bullet. Though the bullet fired in to the mound of dirtwas safely contained from the point of being a moving projectile with asignificant amount of inertial momentum, the lead in the bullet was freeto escape into the environment. For example, when a mound containing anumber of bullets became wet, lead could leach into surrounding soil andeven the groundwater. When a range was used frequently, a considerableamount of lead could be released into the environment, therebypotentially injuring wildlife and contaminating groundwater supplies.

Partially due to these concerns, firing ranges increasingly turned tothe use of bullet containment chambers to capture fired bullets andfragments thereof. The bullets may be recycled or otherwise disposed ofin accordance with environmental regulations. Bullet containmentchambers typically include an opening through which the bullet enters, adeceleration mechanism for slowing the bullet to a stop, and a containermechanism for holding the bullet until it is retrieved from thecontainment chamber.

One early bullet containment chamber is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 684,581to Reichlin. The chamber had an opening over which a target was placed.The chamber sloped downwardly and inwardly to provide a roundeddeceleration path. A container area was also provided at the bottom ofthe unit to collect bullets.

An alternate design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,013,133 to Caswell.Rather than directing the bullet in a vertically circular path, thebullet stop of Caswell had the bullet travel initially in a generallyhorizontal circle as it decelerated. As the bullet slowed, it would dropto the bottom of the deceleration chamber where it could be retrieved.

Still another configuration of a bullet containment system is shown inU.S. Pat. No. 4,28,109 to Simonetti. The system uses a granular impactmaterial to decelerate the projectile. The impact material is cycled toprovide ongoing inflow of impact material, and the bullets can beremoved and recycled, etc.

Yet another configuration for containing bullets is shown in U.S. Pat.No. 5,255,924 to Copius. Similar to the traditional mound method, thepatent teaches the use of a mound of sand to decelerate the projectiles.A drainage system is disposed under the sand to collect and processwater which has come into contact with lead bullets and fragmentscontained within the same.

Still yet another bullet containment system is contained in U.S. Pat.No. 5,811,718 to Bateman. The containment system utilizes angled impactplates to decelerate bullets. Once the bullets had slowed sufficiently,they would fall into a canister mounted below the containment chamber.

Recognizing the environmental concerns raised by the lead dust which iscreated as the bullet is slowed to a stop, Bateman utilized a negativeair system to draw air containing lead dust out of the containmentchamber. The air could then be filtered to remove the lead dust prior torelease into the atmosphere. The Bateman configuration is highlyadvantageous over most of the prior art configurations because lead dustis significantly reduced without the use of water or other carryingmediums. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that once waterbecomes contaminated with lead dust, disposal of the water can causesignificant challenges—both environmentally and financially.

One drawback which most of the prior configurations have had is thatsomeone must retrieve the bullets from the containment chamber. This canbe particularly time consuming on a large range which may have over twohundred canisters for collecting bullets. Even if the person removingthe bullets works quickly, it could take a couple of hours or more toempty each bullet containing canister. Additionally, even a smallcanister filled with lead can be relatively heavy.

Of even greater concern, however, is the careful handling which must beused by those collecting the bullets. In order to remove the bullets,the person retrieving the bullets must first put on a hazardousmaterials suit to protect the person from the lead dust associated withthe bullets. The suit may be cumbersome and uncomfortable and may beextremely hot. Additionally, if collection is occurring while the rangeis in use, the range must be configured so that the person retrievingthe bullets cannot be hit by ricochets, etc. Also, each impact of thebullet generates lead dust which can be released into the atmosphere.Thus, with many configurations it is unwise to attempt to retrievebullets while the particular containment chamber is being used.

One presently available system which resolves many of these concerns isdisclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,311,980 to Sovine et al. The patentdiscloses a pneumatic bullet retrieval system which is constructed tominimize the release of lead dust while transporting the bullets to acentral location.

While use of a pneumatic system is highly desirable, there are timeswhen the volume of projectiles or other concerns makes using a purelypneumatic system difficult.

Others have used conveyers to transport bullets from individual bulletdeceleration areas to a common collection point. Such systems, however,are disadvantageous for several reasons. First, as the conveyer beltrotates, and dumps the collected bullets, some bullet fragments willcling to the belt for a short distance. If the underside of the belt isnot enclosed, the lead fragments and dust will fall to the ground andpollute the area behind the trap. If the belt is enclosed, the enclosuremust be periodically opened to clean out the lead buildup. Due to theconstruction of most bullet traps, this requires the range to be shutdown during cleaning.

Thus, there is a need for an improved method for mechanically movingbullets and fragments from bullet deceleration areas to a centralcollection location. Such a system should be easy to use and shouldminimize contact between the lead bullets and those charged withretrieval. Additionally, the system should save time and decrease costsassociated with bullet retrieval.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide a bullet retrievalsystem which has one or more advantages over the prior art.

The above and other objects of the invention are realized in specificillustrated embodiments of a bullet retrieval system including anelongate screw drive which is disposed in communication with one or morebullet deceleration areas to receive and transport bullets to a remotelocation. As the invention includes several different embodiments, itwill be appreciated that each will have its own advantages anddisadvantages with respect to each other and the prior art. Thus, thedescription contained herein is merely exemplary and is not intended tolimit the scope of the appended claims.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a plurality of controlmembers which are placed in communication with a plurality of bulletcontainment chambers. The control members are further disposed incommunication with each other via a bullet transport mechanism whichcarries the bullets from the control members to a central processinglocation.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the elongate screwconveyer which moves the bullet is enclosed so as to prevent leadfragments and lead dust from contaminating the area behind the bulletdeceleration area.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, a vacuum system isdisposed in communication with the enclosure surrounding the elongatescrew conveyer so as to draw lead dust out of the enclosure.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the vacuum issufficiently strong to create a slight negative pressure within thebullet deceleration area, to draw lead dust through the bulletdeceleration area and into the screw conveyer. The lead dust is, inturn, drawn out of the screw conveyer and removed by a HEPA filter orthe like. Additionally, the negative pressure can be used to ensure thatlead dust does not escape through any openings in the housing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above and other objects, features and advantages of the inventionwill become apparent from a consideration of the following detaileddescription presented in connection with the accompanying drawings inwhich:

FIG. 1 shows a side cross-sectional view of a bullet stop andcontainment chamber in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of a bullet retrieval system made inaccordance with another embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of yet another embodiment of a bulletretrieval system formed in accordance with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of still another embodiment of a bulletretrieval system formed in accordance with the present invention;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made to the drawings in which the various elementsof the present invention will be given numeral designations and in whichthe invention will be discussed so as to enable one skilled in the artto make and use the invention. It is to be understood that the followingdescription is only exemplary of the principles of the presentinvention, and should not be viewed as narrowing the pending claims.Furthermore, it should be appreciated that the components of theindividual embodiments discussed may be selectively combined inaccordance with the teachings of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, there is shown a side cross-sectional view of abullet stop and containment chamber, generally indicated at 10, inaccordance with the principles of the prior art having a screw conveyorsystem of the present invention attached thereto. The bullet stop andcontainment chamber 10, includes a channel 12 which is configured fordirecting projectiles into a deceleration area formed by a chamber 16.The channel 12 is formed by an upper plate 20 and a lower plate 22 whichare typically placed at complementary acute angles to the generallyhorizontal plane of travel of a projectile to direct the projectile intoan opening 26 into the chamber 16. (Of course, other plateconfigurations could be used.)

After passing through the opening 26, the projectile impacts a pluralityof impact plates, such as impact plate 34, impact plate 34″ and impactplate 36. The impact plates 34, 34″ and 36 decelerate the projectile andlead to an egress 44 from the chamber 16. A check plate 46 is alsoprovided to ensure that a projectile does not leave the bulletcontainment chamber with a significant amount of inertial momentum.

According to the present invention, a screw conveyor and its associatedstructures are disposed below the bullet containment chamber. Disposedbelow the bullet containment chamber 16 is an outlet 82 which leads intoa housing 86 which forms a transport tube for collecting projectileswhich have been fired into the bullet stop and containment chamber 10.Preferably, the housing 86 is configured so that it is substantially airtight, other then the opening at the outlet 82 and an outlet to thehousing. In such a manner, the spilling of lead dust behind the bulletstop and containment chamber 10 is virtually eliminated.

Disposed in the housing 86 is an elongate screw 90 which forms a wormdrive or screw conveyer for moving bullets and bullet fragments to oneend of the housing. The bullets and fragments can then be collected in acontainer (not shown in FIG. 1) and recycled.

One significant advantage of the configuration shown in FIG. 1, is thatit does not require an individual to empty a receptacle below the bulletstop. Not only does this reduce the risk of exposure to lead dust, italso allows the bullet stop and containment chamber to be used fortarget practice while the bullets and bullet fragments are beingremoved. Thus, a bullet trap can be used at full capacity over aprolonged period of time, with the bullets being cleaned from the trapas needed without any decrease in use.

The elongate screw 90 which forms the worm drive or screw conveyer ispreferably suspended by a mating flange and support 94 which wraps aboutthe axis 98 of the elongate screw. The helical flange 92 which wrapsabout the screw's axis continually moves the lead downstream as long asthe screw is rotating.

While the housing 86 can be open, it is preferred that the housing beenclosed so that the only entry into the housing is through the openings82, and the only exit is at the end of the housing. In this manner, anylead dust in the housing will not leak out and contaminate the areabehind the bullet stop and containment chamber 10.

To keep the housing 86 substantially air tight (other than the openings82, the housing includes a flange 102 which is attachable to acomplementary flange 106 attached to the openings 82. Preferably, thisattachment is made by screws or other removable fasteners, so that theinterior of the housing 86 can be accessed if needed.

As the projectile decelerates, it falls through the opening into thehousing 86. Periodically, the elongate screw 90 is turned, therebycausing any bullets and bullet fragments to be pushed to one end of thehousing, where they can be disposed of properly. The frequency at whichthe screw is turned will depend on the volume of fire the bullet stopand containment chamber 10 is taking, and the number of such chamberswhich are disposed in communication with the housing.

Thus, for example, if thirty bullet stop and containment chambers weredisposed in communication with the housing and all were being used for atraining seminar, the screw conveyor may operate substantiallycontinuously for a period of time. If, in contrast, only a few bulletstop and containment chambers were being used, the screw conveyer mayonly be actuated every ten or fifteen minutes.

While belt conveyers have been tried for moving bullets from bullettraps, they raise a host of problems. Bullet fragments can stick to thebelt and either fall to the ground or fall into a containment structurecausing build-up. The elongate screw 90, in contrast, keeps the bulletsand bullet fragments moving toward the end of the housing 86. While asmall amount of lead may collect on the walls of the housing, the screwcontinually moves along the walls and prevents any build-up frombecoming too large. Thus, it is preferred that the screw be formed ofsteel or some other hard material which will scrape any lead build-upoff the housing 86. Because lead dust will have little ability to buildup, it is believed that the screw conveyer will be substantially morereliable than the belt conveyers that have been used in the past.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the screw drive may beformed from an integral unit, or may be formed in segments, which havesome sort of coupling between them. Likewise, the housing 86 can besubstantially one piece, or can be formed in segments.

While the screw drive 90 is shown in FIG. 1 has being in the housing,those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the screw drive canbe disposed inside the bullet stop and containment chamber. Typically,in such a configuration, the screw drive would be disposed behind somesort of a deflecting plate or otherwise positioned to minimize theamount of wear caused by bullet impacts.

Turning now to FIG. 2, there is shown an alternate embodiment of theinvention. A plurality of bullet stop and containment chambers 110 aredisposed in an array. Each bullet stop and containment chamber has anoutlet 112 which leads into a control member 116. The control member116, in turn, leads into a transport housing 120, which utilizes a screwconveyer 124 driven by a motor 130 to move bullets and bullet fragmentsto a remote container 128. Additionally, a manual crank arm 131 can alsobe used for rotating the elongate screw. The manual crank arm 131 can beused to clean the trap in the event the motor 130 fails. In smallerbullet stops, the manual crank arm 131 could be used as the sole sourceof power for the screw conveyer 124.

The control members 116 are preferably in communication with a remotecontrol 132 which allows a range operator to open one or more of thecontrol members 116 at a time. By allowing the selective opening of thecontrol members 116, a range operator is able to select when bullets arepassed into the transport housing 120. This prevents a large number ofbullets and/or bullet fragments from gathering at one end of thehousing. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that if a very longtransport housing was used to transport bullets from a large number ofbullet stop and containment chambers, a large number of bullets could bepresent near the end of the screw drive. By controlling release of thebullets, any potential for overload could be averted. Additionally, theremote control 132 can be used to control the motor 130, to therebycontrol movement of the screw conveyer 124.

Turning now to FIG. 3, there is shown an alternate embodiment of abullet retrieval system, generally indicated at 140, made in accordancewith the principles of the present invention. The bullet retrievalsystem 140 includes substantially all of the components of the system inFIG. 2 and is numbered accordingly. It should be appreciated, however,that while this is one preferred embodiment, various components may beomitted without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention.

The bullet retrieval system of FIG. 3 is different from that of FIG. 2in that it also includes a vacuum system, generally indicated at 150.The vacuum system 150 preferably includes a tube 154 which is disposedin communication with the housing 124, and a vacuum 158 for creatingnegative air pressure in the tube. The vacuum also includes a filter162, preferably a HEPA filter. When the vacuum 158 is on, a negative airpressure is developed in the tube 154 and in the housing 124 to which itis connected. This negative air pressure draws air from the openings 112in the bullet stop and containment chambers 110, through the housing 124and into the vacuum system where the air can be cleaned via the HEPAfilter 162 prior to discharge. The airflow also will carry lead dustfrom out of the bullet stop and containment chambers 110 and the housing124, thereby minimizing the risk that the lead dust will flow out of thetrap and come into contact with users or range personnel.

The amount of negative air pressure which will be developed in each ofthe bullet stop and containment chambers 110 depends both on the amountof suction produced, and the number and size of openings into bulletcontainment chambers. Thus, greater suction can be generated in each ofthe bullet stop and containment chambers by selectively opening andclosing the control members 116.

Now turning to FIG. 4, there is shown a retrieval system which issimilar in many respects to that shown in FIG. 2. Instead of the screw124 being formed with a helical flange(s) extending in one direction, apair of flanges 126 a and 126 b are disposed in opposite directions onopposing ends of the screw 124. When the screw is rotated, the flangeschannel the bullets to a central collection location 128 along thehousing. Likewise, the flanges could be disposed in the oppositeconfiguration to channel the bullets into two collection containers atopposing ends of the bullet trap.

The present invention is advantageous in that it substantially reducesthe risk of exposure of large amounts of lead dust, while not requiringsufficient suction to move bullets and bullet fragments. Additionally,the number of times that range personnel are likely to be exposed tolead dust is substantially reduced.

Thus there is disclosed an improved bullet retrieval system whichdecreases environmental exposure to lead, increases the efficiency ofbullet recovery, and which does not interfere with use of the rangeduring bullet retrieval. Those skilled in the art will appreciatenumerous modifications which can be made without departing from thescope and spirit of the present invention. The appended claims areintended to cover such modifications.

1. A projectile retrieval system comprising: at least one projectiledeceleration area for decelerating projectiles; a transport mechanismdisposed in communication with the projectile deceleration area, thetransport mechanism having an elongate screw configured for carryingprojectiles from the deceleration area to a remote location.
 2. Theprojectile retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising a containerdisposed in communication with the transport mechanism for receivingprojectiles from the transport mechanism.
 3. The projectile retrievalsystem of claim 1, further comprising a motor for rotating the elongatescrew.
 4. The projectile retrieval system of claim 1, further comprisinga manual crank for rotating the elongate screw.
 5. The projectileretrieval system of claim 1, wherein the elongate screw has a centralaxis and at least one fin extending helically about the central axis ina first direction.
 6. The projectile retrieval system of claim 5,further comprising at least one fin extending helically about thecentral axis in a second direction.
 7. The projectile retrieval systemof claim 1, further comprising at least one valve disposed between thedeceleration area and the transport mechanism.
 8. The projectileretrieval system of claim 7, wherein the at least one valve includes avalve having a first, closed position and a second, open position, andwherein the retrieval system further comprises a valve actuator forselectively moving the valve from the first, closed position to thesecond, open position.
 9. The projectile retrieval system of claim 8,wherein the valve actuator is disposed in communication with a remotecontrol input for selectively causing the valve actuator to move thevalve between the first, closed position, and the second, open position.10. The projectile retrieval system of claim 8, wherein the valveactuator is disposed in communication with an automatic detection sensorthat senses the presence or absence of projectiles in the decelerationarea and that causes the valve actuator to move the valve between thefirst, closed position, and the second, open position.
 11. Theprojectile retrieval system of claim 1, further comprising a vacuumsystem for generating negative air pressure in the transport mechanismindependent of the elongate screw.
 12. The projectile retrieval systemof claim 1, wherein the transport mechanism comprises a housing which issubstantially airtight independent of connection to the bulletdeceleration area.
 13. A projectile retrieval system comprising: aplurality of bullet deceleration areas disposed in a generally lineararray; a transport housing disposed in communication with the pluralityof bullet deceleration areas for receiving bullets therefrom; and ascrew drive disposed in the transport housing for moving bullets throughthe housing.
 14. The projectile retrieval system of claim 13, whereinthe transport housing is substantially airtight other than itscommunication with the bullet deceleration area.
 15. The projectileretrieval system of claim 13, further comprising at least one controlmember disposed between one of the bullet deceleration areas and thetransport housing for selectively preventing bullets from entering thetransport housing.
 16. The projectile retrieval system of claim 15,further comprising a remote control for selectively opening the at leastone control member.
 17. The projectile retrieval system of claim 14,further comprising a vacuum system disposed in communication with thetransport housing for selectively moving lead dust through the transporthousing.
 18. A method for retrieval of projectiles from a bulletcontainment area, the method comprising; a) passing a bullet from abullet deceleration area into a transport housing; b) rotating anelongate screw to move the bullet from adjacent the bullet decelerationarea to a remote location; and c) depositing the bullet in a container.19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the method comprisesselectively holding the bullet in the deceleration area.
 20. The methodaccording to claim 18, wherein the method comprises developing anegative pressure in the transport housing to move lead dust through thetransport housing independent of the elongate screw.
 21. The methodaccording to claim 18, wherein the method comprises selectively applyinga negative pressure to a bullet deceleration area to draw lead dust outof the bullet deceleration area.